Great minds
by sinjin2099
Summary: Archer and T'Pol are captured by a.... go ahead and read it and just tell me what you think.


I don't own the characters only the ideas.

Captain's log supplemental-

Starfleet has asked T'Pol and I to attend a conference on Rigel VII to help farther the Federation of Planets through its infancy. Enterprise has an exploratory mission in the next sector of space so we will take a shuttle to the conference. It should be an easy few days.

Captain Jonathan Archer walks the familiar corridors of his ship his mind focusing elsewhere. It has been nearly nine months since Commander Tucker's funeral down in Florida. The day was drenched in rain with black looming clouds, the ceremony modest at the family's request. Only friends and family were invited, the public and press had to stand outside the cemetery. He was laid to rest next to his sister, who had died only the year before during the attack on Earth. Jonathan stood next to T'Pol, Hoshi and Malcolm without an umbrella. That was when he felt T'Pol move closer to his side to share her umbrella; he looked to her not really knowing what to say. She reached down and clasped her hand to his as if to say, "It's okay, I miss him too." Yet he also remembered a similar instance in a dream he once had, when his dog Porthos was ill. Did he dream Tucker's funeral as well? He was in a haze then just going through the motions then.

Sometimes he felt as if he were dreaming and expected Trip to come bounding next to him to say good morning in that southern draw of his. Though it never happened. Since that day though life crawled on as Enterprise was refitted for a survey mission that was to last several months. For her and her crew though it would be the last. Enterprise was scheduled for mothballing upon her return and the crew was to be sent elsewhere. Hoshi was to teach at the new Starfleet academy; Malcolm was to be promoted to Commander and T'Pol…. Jonathan stopped in mid thought…T'Pol would leave him. With this thought Archer entered the turbo lift not noticing T'Pol standing there. Out of habit he grabbed the lift handle and spoke where he wanted to go….

"Deck 7."

"Going to your quarters Captain?" T'Pol's voice bringing Archer out of his thoughts.

"I was just thinking about you." Archer replied not thinking as he spoke.

T'Pol raised a single eyebrow in true Vulcan fashion with a slight tilt to her head. "May I ask why?" {_Has it been the same thoughts I have had of you? Enough T'Pol you need more meditation_}

Archer puts his fingers to the bridge of his nose as if he was massaging a coming headache as he silently chided himself. "Starfleet has asked if you and I could attend a conference on Rigel 7 as a presence." {_Good Johnny boy make it sound official so she can't say no_}"I was coming to talk to you about it."

"Is that the only reason you were thinking of me Captain?" T'Pol asked a small quirk gleaming in her brown eyes.{_I could think of more. STOP IT T'POL!!!_}

{_Damn it T'Pol let it go please_.} Thought Archer as he replied to her "Actually no it wasn't. It's been awhile since we had dinner together and I wanted to know if you'd care to join me in the Captain's mess tonight."

"We have both been occupied as of late with our duties as Captain and First Officer." T'Pol states in a logical tone that never sounded sarcastic but sometimes had a ring to them. {_That and I've been avoiding you because of these thoughts I keep having of you_}

"I understand our duties have not allowed us to share a meal together and that's why I asked. Besides I looked at the duty roster and you're off now."

"Is that an order Captain?"

"Why would it be an…." Jonathan stopped in mid sentence as he realized a sudden thought. {_Does she detest my presence? Since when?_} "Don't worry about it T'Pol, it was only a suggestion from a friend."

As he says these last words the turbo lift doors open and he steps off leaving T'Pol standing there baffled.

An Hour later T'Pol steps into the Medical Bay looking for advice. The only person she could comfortably speak to has always been Dr. Phlox.

"Commander T'Pol what can I do for you?" Phlox asks, his demeanor cheerful.

"I believe I have hurt some one's feelings." Answers T'Pol as she stands stoically Vulcan.

"This person is close to you?" Asks Phlox already guessing whom it could be.

"He is a close friend." T'Pol began feeling as though she were being examined.

"Captain Archer?"

"How did you know?"

"You only have three close friends on this ship T'Pol. I'm one of them, Hoshi is another and Captain Archer is another. Since I know you didn't hurt my feelings and you said He is a close friend that rules out Hoshi."{_That and you care for the Captain more than you will admit to anyone_}

"I see your logic." T'Pol iterates {_I hate when he's right_}"Jonathan asked me to dinner and I was in a mood."

"What mood?"{_Her pon'farr isn't for another year_.}

"After my ordeal with Trillium my emotions are closer to the surface and I get these moods as if I what to play as Trip and Jonathan did, or as I see human close friends do. I tried it today in the turbo lift with Jonathan and I believe he took it the wrong way." {_If he did I need to make amends_}

"Did you try to tell him that?"

"No."

"I suggest you do before barriers are placed up where they don't belong."

"How?"

"As you have told me is a good start."

It is 2230 hrs in the ship's gym where a human male is pounding a punching bag working himself into exhaustion. Next to him sits a four legged animal referred to as man's best friend.

"What the "humph" Hell is "humph" Her "humph" problem "humph" Porthos?" Jonathan hits the bag harder and faster with each word. His dog sitting there watching the movement of the bag, his ears perched as if listening to his master…"All "humph" I said "humph" if she'd "humph" like to "Humph" have "humph" dinner with "humph" me and "humph" she asks "humph" if it "humph" was an order." With this last word Archer hits the bag even harder as if to drive the point home.

As if on queue the gym door opens and a certain Vulcan walks in. She tenses herself in lewd of the expected upcoming argument. She has known Jonathan Archer for five years and has grown to respect him as a Captain, a fellow shipmate, and one of her best friends on the Enterprise. In that time they have fought together and against each other, she knows how stubborn this man can be, how passionate he can be. Earlier after she spoke to Phlox she went to the Captain's mess to join Archer but the steward had said that the Captain never came to eat. She than used the ship's sensors to try to locate him through his COM link which placed him in his room. She went there hoping to talk to him, taking the doctor's advice but found he wasn't there either, only his communicator. Logically that lead her to two conclusions, Jonathan did not want to be disturbed and two he was working off steam running or in the gym. She decided to wait a few hours to allow him to become less impassioned and more reasonable. She waited until 11 pm Earth time and decided to make her way to him in the gym. Which lead her to this point in time looking at a glistening, well exhausted, physically pleasing Jonathan Archer.

{_Physically pleasing T'Pol. You know he always has been and it is logically astute to know your surroundings, to know what might distract you. Not now T'Pol_}

She snaps herself out of her thoughts quickly waiting to hear him say something, anything, yet nothing. Not even his "Hello Commander" when he was trying not to be personal. {This may not have been a good idea}

"I'd say I'm done but you don't look like you came to work out." Archer replies slightly winded. Grabbing a towel from a bench a few steps away from her. Porthos wagging his tail, showing how glad he was to see T'Pol.

"An astute observation Captain. Your logic serves you well. I came to clear the air about this afternoon in the turbo lift." T'Pol felt odd as if she were playing chess with Archer, knowing the wrong move would cost her.

"Don't worry Comman.."Archer goes to reply trying to cut this conversation short. He wasn't in the mood to get into any arguments with T'Pol tonight. He was tired, sore and worn out. He just wanted to go take a shower and go to bed, and then get ready to go to the conference without her. That was before T'Pol interrupted

"I do worry. I worry you took what I said wrong." T'Pol felt a preverbal lump in her throat as she spoke quickly and decisively. "As you showed your logic moments ago, I was trying to show humor earlier."

"What?" Archer said {She was joking with me. I usually can see when she is kidding in that Vulcan way but I didn't see it at all today. Was I that distracted? I feel like an ass.}

"This is hard to say." {A lot of things are hard to say like how I feel about you.} "After the trillium exposure and rehabilitation you know how hard it is for me to keep my emotions in check. I have found that I am more impulsive around certain people. I want to play so to speak. I believe you would call it picking jovially." {That's not all I want to do though}

"You were joking with me." Archer chuckled as he placed his hand on the back of his head. "I feel like a jerk. I'm sorry T'Pol."

"Would you care to eat now? As I understand it you skipped dinner." T'Pol responds, hoping he'd say yes.

{I'd like to eat…John stop it. She's your friend and first officer.} "Yeah I am pretty hungry."

As they began to exit the gym Archer stopped "You mind if I get a shower? I mean I know you have a nasal inhibitor but I know I stink and though you say you have gotten use to we human's smell…"

"Your odor isn't offensive to me Jonathan." {Actually it is more pleasing to me now.}

"Are you sure."

"Yes."

0030 hrs in the ship's galley at a table in the corner near the food dispenser Jonathan Archer and T'Pol sit conversing on a multitude of subjects from work to personal subjects. Archer smirked a little as T'Pol ate the last bit of pecan pie she had retrieved after she ate her normal blend of salad and carrots. T'Pol noticed his action and raised an eyebrow

"Is there something funny Jonathan?"{Do I have something on my mouth?}

"Actually it is. I remember when Trip introduced you to that." Archer pointed to the empty plate and then a sadness washed over him. Though he didn't show it, T'Pol knew how he felt. How he missed Trip, she missed Trip as well at times but one cannot dwell on lost friends. He will always be remembered as a good man and friend.

"I have tried other deserts over time but this is still more pleasing to me." T'Pol answered. "When do we have to go attend the conference on Rigel 7?"

"Oh its scheduled for day after tomorrow and since Enterprise won't be passing too close to the planet I'm going to take a shuttle pod tomorrow."

"You?"

"Sorry we. I was thinking about going tomorrow without you before we cleared the air."

"I would have been displeased and disappointed."{I want to spend time with you}

After a few more minutes of talking the two friends call it a night with Jonathan Archer walking T'Pol to her quarters and T'Pol oddly giving him a hug. As her door closed Archer was left momentarily stunned, unsure of what happened. It was not unheard of Archer giving T'Pol a hug every so often but in the five years he had known her, she never initiated one. {Maybe she's becoming more human than she thinks.}

As the door shuts closing off T'Pol from the rest of the ship a small smirk appears on her elven features. She knows that she enjoys Jonathan Archer's company, even more so that they had shared a mission in the wastes of Vulcan. She had always known she was attracted to him, from the first moment she saw him as he threatened to put her on her butt to the moments in the Vulcan temple in those first years. After all it was logical to be attracted to someone, even Vulcan's knew love. It was just not expressed in obvious ways. Vulcan had been at war with itself for centuries if not thousands of years. It was not until the suppression of emotion under the guidance of Sarrek did the wars stop. Vulcans embraced logic over emotion, repressing the more based emotions.

To understand Vulcans and their offshoot the Romulans as a people one must know their past. Vulcans are shaped by their history and the events that took place during their history more so than other races in the known galaxy. At one time five hundred thousand years ago Vulcan was a planet of vast tropical forest teeming with an over abundance of life. It had a vast ecosystem under a yellow-orange sun with bluish purple skies. Here there were two sentient races living together. One was the modern Vulcan and the other were great worm-like beings that were simply called Wyrms. The Wyrm were a fully telepathic race realized millions of years prior and watched as the Vulcans evolved and adapted. It was they who taught these early primitive people to reach out with their minds. That was until fate decided to play a cruel trick upon the planet called Vulcan. The yellow-orange sun trembled and convulsed in several macro-spasms and erupted, growing larger and hotter becoming a blue-white star. It engulfed two of the fourteen planets, causing Vulcan to become a cascade of fire and maelstrom. In the end only a handful of Vulcans scattered around the globe survived, it's once vast resources were know gone and life became a hard fought challenge. The mentality of the Vulcan people became extremely aggressive having to compete for resources. The Wyrm became extinct in the early cataclysms and their teachings forgotten. So Eden was lost to them forever and they abandoned whatever gods they worshipped descending into war and bloodshed.*

0800 hrs in the shuttle bay of the Enterprise…

Jonathan Archer and the newly promoted Lt. Commander Mayweather prep the shuttle Calypso for the extended flight to Rigel Seven, which is only a light year away.

"So how are you and Ensign Ritter getting along?" Archer asks Mayweather out of the blue, catching the now seasoned helm officer off guard.

"Sir?" Responds Mayweather not really sure how to respond to the question. He and the female Ensign had been having a relationship for only a few weeks and were keeping mostly private. Only a few people even knew the two were lovers.

"Just being nosey is all."

"Actually we are doing well sir. How did you know?" Asks Mayweather.

"There isn't much on this ship I don't miss. I'm glad for you."

"Thank you." Mayweather says as he smiles, than it disappears as he decides he should ask the Captain something. "Sir is it alright if I ask you something?"

"You know you can." Archer says as he places a box under the co-pilot's seat.

"It has something to do with when we were in the zone two years or so ago. " Mayweather did not know if he should tread on this subject or not. "With Commander T'Pol."

Archer stopped what he was doing as his attention is now focused fully on his younger officer. "Go ahead."

"I know its not any of my business and all but is or was there something between you and the Commander? I ask because when we all thought you had died she took it the hardest. She showed as much emotion as a human who had lost someone they loved and couldn't control it. It was as if she had lost her husband." Mayweather felt as if he were under a microscope as his captain focused on him.{oh boy}

"She was under a great deal of strain and there was something happening from her earlier Trillium encounter on that Vulcan ship." Archer replies casually. "Anyway to answer your question we are only friends."{Hope he buys the Trillium excuse. I don't want people to know she was actually injecting it into herself so she could try to build a tolerance to it. She was a mess. I'm glad she had Trip as support, I should have been there.}

"I don't think that was it sir." Mayweather says airing his opinion still somewhat cautiously. {Trillium my eye. She was frantic you didn't see her.}

"Lt Commander I assure you that was the case." States Archer as he places his hand on Mayweather's shoulder and squeezed slightly, a signal for his officer to drop the subject.

Mayweather caught the hint and complied with his superior's wishes. Most of the time though standing outside of the shuttle listening to the jest of the conversation was T'Pol. She even contemplated interrupting the dialogue midway through not allowing it to continue. For some reason she wanted to know what Jonathan Archer would say though, so she stayed in place. She waited for another few minutes and then proceeded into the shuttle.

"Captain, Lt. Commander." T'Pol requited as she entered the cabin.

"Commander." Archer replies, saving a smirk toward Mayweather as he saw the young Lt. Commander turn a slight shade paler with his response.

"Commander."{Holy Shit.}

With this the Lt Commander took leave of the two most senior officers and returned to the bridge.

Somewhere near Rigel Nine's outer most moon called Detelphia a cloaked ship orbits. It is a strange ship called the _**Balor**_ owned by a rogue Lyran scientist named Alucard. He is a petty man who thinks that his ideas and methodology are supreme. He was banished from the Lyran council for unethical experiments in recreating telepathy in his race. Once long ago the Lyran people possessed the gene for telepathy and produced potent telepaths and what they called astropaths but came to fear them. The government eradicated those that had the abilities and then those that had the gene. Then the government implemented gene breeding to further eliminate any kind of telepath or astropath. Now in the present days hundreds of years later the gene is all but suppressed and with it the ability for telepathy. Alucard's hopes are to create a device that will stimulate the recessive gene for telepathy in his race and cause a cue of the very government that banished him from his position as Council Scientist. The Lyrans resemble a crossbred of Lion and Gorilla in a bipedal form. They have thick, rich manes of hair that range in color from reddish blonde to an ash brown. They are descended from a predatory species of mammalian whose bloody tendencies are curbed by their warrior mentality. They are allies of the Klingon Empire and have been for five centuries. Lyran technology is based on energy waves and tacyon technologies that serve them well.

"Doctor Alucard the tests are somewhat conclusive and ready to proceed to the next stage of testing."

"Good Noryb. We have to have a telepath or a sensitive for this phase though. We need to run a full synaptic scan on them to understand how to replicate the effect."

"There are three problems Doctor."

"What is that Noryb?"

"The first is where are we going to find a sensitive or telepath. The second is we need another person to test as a control. The third is that test in the lower life forms we have implanted show that they can't travel more than a few dozen feet away from each other or the feedback from synaptic static will kill them."

"True. Though why do you think we are here my friend. Our most illustrious government is host to a conference for the new Federation of Planets and some of the guests are telepathic. Vulcans, Celistrian, and Atrizoid are invited. We just wait near Balorfalivictoria (Rigel-7) and scan ships as they pass by. They will think that the ship is being scanned for the conference and be none the wiser. We then simply teleport two members aboard and leave for our base on Zanthramalicus (Rigel-12)."

Two hours have passed on the shuttle occupied by Captain Archer and T'Pol as Archer has finished reading over some of the new races that will be attending the conference. One in particular called the Hydran, a race that is vaguely humanoid with three tentacles and bulbous bodies that live on gaseous planets much like Jupiter.

"How long have the Hydrans been in space T'Pol?" Archer asks curiously.

"The Vulcan database doesn't list the length but they have had warp technology for several years." T'Pol answers in her normal static Vulcan way.

"May I ask you something on a personal level?" Archer replies as he turns to her as to look her in the eyes.

{Here it comes T'Pol he is going to ask you about your display of emotions when you thought he was dead.} T'Pol secretly steadies herself, ready to cloud the truth when Archer asks his question. "How personal?"

"Its about you and Trip actually."

"That depends on the subject material that you wish to know." T'Pol deflects, surprised that Archer didn't ask about what Mayweather had said about her.

"Were you and …uhmm…Trip lovers at anytime?" {Why do I ask these questions?} "The reason I ask is more out of well, more for professional confirmation so as to quash the rumors that were going around while he was alive. I mean it's none of my business really." {Open mouth insert foot.}

"You are right it would be none of your business on a personal level." {Why does he wish to know this now after so long?} "But as to quash any rumors on the contrary that may interfere with ship's personal we were intimate once when we were both weak. He with the loss of his sibling and I with my illness. Our feelings were more platonic in nature and remained so even during the entire fescue with Terra Nova." {Not to mention I felt alone without you there near me.}

"Anything you two spoke about?" {Why am I asking its none of my business. I got my answer.} Archer looks down slightly breaking eye contact for two seconds.

{Why is he asking these questions? Mostly we spoke about you. Though I do recall something Trip once told me.} T'Pol thinks as she replies in a less than stoic mentality. "Yes we did. Trip once said that you had a very good voice when you sang." {I have wanted to hear you sing so often when Trip said you could. I never wanted to bring it up in fear of you rejecting my request, but you allowed the door to open so to speak.}

"He did huh. My goodness it was along time ago when Enterprise was being built." Archer remembers when he and his now deceased friend would just sit around in each other's quarters playing guitars and Archer singing. "I was alright."

"Commander Tucker told me you could have been a professional minstrel." {Sing for me Jonathan please.} "Allow me to be the judge then." T'Pol nudges Archer to sing.

"Are you serious?" Jonathan is slightly taken back at T'Pol's request, not sure where it will lead.

"Very."

"Alright, I guess. Now if I hurt your sensitive {lovely} Vulcan ears tell me. I can squeal with the best of them. What would you like me to sing?"

"Trip said you enjoyed a particular song having to do with a beating heart." She answers barely holding her excitement down to the point of not being able to read it.

"So how often did you two speak about me?" Archer replies more curious now.

"You were always behind closed doors and he enjoyed speaking of you."{I enjoyed speaking of you.}

"I see."{I know I should have never closed you or Trip off.}

"So will you sing and allow me to listen?"

"You want to hear me sing?"

"I am curious. When I was assigned to the Vulcan conciliate on Earth I would hear the music you call jazz and found pleasure in it. Allow me to hear you."{please}

"Well I usually just sing in the shower or in front of an audience."

"You may sing it to me since I am the one that asked Captain." T'Pol states smugly Vulcan.

"If you insist Commander."

{I do Jonathan}

Jonathan Archer begins to move his leg in a slight beat giving himself a beat to sing to…..

_Sometimes its hard and you don't want to look over your shoulder_

_Because you don't want to remember where you've been_

_There will come a time when you would die just to hold her_

_I know cause that's where I am_

T'Pol listens to Jonathan Archer's voice as it begins its rhythmic dance, pulling at her heart, her soul, her emotional core as it were.

_So listen with all your heart, hold it side forever_

_You may find all your dreams have come true_

_Look inside and find the part that's leading you_

_Cause that's the beat of the heart_

She has known for an extremely long time that she was in love with this man who now sings to her. She could not help it. That is why she never left Enterprise, why she stayed

with him through the hardest of times. It is why she cried for him when she thought him dead, why she ran to him when he fell after the ceremony to remove Sarreck's Chakra.

_Some times you drown it out with your rage and thunder_

_Some times you'll drown it out with your own tears_

_There will be a time when you hear it and wonder_

_Where in the world have I been? _

She could feel something stirring deep within her as she is moved by not only the words of the song but his voice; his manly yet beautifully pitched voice.

Her heart racing as it did as he hugged her before his speech in front of the newly formed Federation of planets.

_So listen with all your heart, hold it side forever_

_You may find all your dreams have come true_

_Look inside and find the part that's leading you_

Cause that's the beat of the heart

She tries to fight back any emotion as it swells in her chest threatening to overwhelm her. How is it this man can do this to her when no other ever could?

_No one can tell you how to get there_

_It's a road you take all by your self_

_So listen with all your heart, hold it side forever_

After a moment of silence Archer speaks looking into T'Pol's eyes, which appear to be slightly moist.

"What did you think T'Pol?"

"Trip did not exaggerate. You have an aesthetically pleasing voice." T'Pol answers as she fights the lump that had formed in her throat. "Earth may have lost a good singer but gained a greater captain." {And a better man than any one I know}

"Thank you T'Pol. That means a lot coming from you." Archer answers as he had waited for T'Pol's response. Through out the song he had watched her for any signs of an emotional response, which he thought he saw several times. {Sometimes I forget T'Pol is a Vulcan. It's hard to read any emotion from them. What I wouldn't give to read her mind right now.}

Suddenly the console began to beep sounding the alarm pulling both T'Pol and Archer from their moment of thought. Just as they were reacting both saw an energy sheath surround them and the next moment they were both sitting on the floor of a holding chamber. From behind the containment field stands the Lyran named Noryb with two other Lyrans at the controls.

"Doctor we have the Vulcan and what appears to be a human." Noryb says tapping an intercom on the panel he stands behind.

"Good. We'll begin at once." A voice from the intercom resounds just before Archer and T'Pol witness two weapons leveled at them and a strong stinging sensation as they lost consciousness. Archer didn't know how long he had been out suspended in the void of unconsciousness but as his eyes began to focus his other senses told him he was no longer on a ship, but on grass with a sun cascading it's warmth on him. He could hear distant animals cooing with a sweet odor in the air. He allowed the sensations to sink into him allowing some sense of where he might have been. Archer felt slightly dizzy and nauseated as if he had a hang over.

{Must be the stun effect of that weapon that pointed at T'Pol and I} Archer thought slowly as he focused around him, looking for T'Pol in the process. There only six or seven feet from him laid T'Pol, still unconscious. As he examined her he noticed something attached to the back of her neck. It appeared to be some type of device with three cables entering the base of her skull. The device itself was only an inch squared with a small yellow blinking light in the center. Archer then felt the back of his neck just to make sure and there it was, the same technology or felt like it anyway.

Captain Archer slowly tried to wake T'Pol out of her incoherent state not sure really what to do. {If it were a fairy tale I'd kiss you to wake you up}

With that thought T'Pol began to stir.

"You okay?" Jonathan said {BE alright?}

"Be what Captain. I didn't understand that last part?" T'Pol states wearily as she rose to a sitting position.

{I know I didn't say that aloud.} Jonathan thinks, as he looks T'Pol in the eyes for dilation. "Are you okay."

T'Pol focusing could have sworn Jonathan said two things at the same time but one was garbled. She had to back off for a moment as she processed the information. {I can't be entering Pan Farr. That is still a year away. That is the only time one could hear her MATE's thoughts before they joined.}

"Say that again?" Jonathan replies as he heard T'Pol's mental chatter. "Did you just say something about Mate?"

"No I did not say anything Captain." T'Pol answers trying to ignore Jonathan's question. {I'm CONFUSED. Can he hear my thoughts?}

"I'm confused too but it seems like we are alright except for these devices on the back of our necks." States Archer as he points to the back of his neck. {Stay FOCUSED for HER sake Johnny boy}

T'Pol rubs her temples as she hears the words FOCUSED and HER in her mind. "Captain what do you mean?" {Can WE actually HEAR each OTHER?}

Archer looks at T'Pol quizzically as he closes his eyes for two or three seconds then opens them. "If I think what is going on here is then yes we might be able to hear each others thoughts or parts of them anyway." Archer rubs the back of his neck.

With these observations they both hear a beeping noise behind Jonathan Archer. As they turn around they spot a small communication device that could fit in the palm of one's hand beeping. Jonathan walks over to it and opens it saying

"Archer here. Who is this and why do we have these devices attached to our necks?"

"Temper one called Archer. I am Alucard of the Lyran and you should feel honored to be the subjects of my experiment in telepathy. You see those devices encompass years of work in that field and I needed test subjects for this stage of my great experiment. Of course I wouldn't try to remove them or they will kill you by overloading your synaptic pathways and don't go off without each other. If you stray more than twenty feet apart the relay will be broken and again your synaptic pathways will over load and you'll die."

"Who do you think you are?" Snaps Archer grinding his teeth as he spoke.

"Archer just be good little lab rats and cope will you. You have five days worth of rations and a single blaster to defend yourself. I will be observing the readings from my base. Good bye test subject Archer."

{CALM DOWN John boy this WON'T HELP and you have to APPEAR like you know what your doing FOR T"POL.}

"Its alright to be upset but you are right about won't helping but what do you mean appear for me?"." T'Pol answers Archer's thought. {How OFTEN do YOU think of ME?}

"What about you and me?." Archer replies aloud as he looks at T'Pol.

"It appears that this technology can even over come telepathic barriers." T'Pol states almost belligerently.

"That's comforting." Sarcasm drips from Archer's voice {GOING to have to be ON my TOES then WITH all the THOUGHTS of you.}

"On Toes with thoughts?" T'Pol states as she hears something of that last thought from Archer. {I don't WANT YOU holding thoughts NOW.}

"Say that again or I mean think it again or what ever." Archer 's head snaps toward T'Pol his head swimming with what he had heard.

"What did you hear?"

"Something about you want me now?"

"Not exactly. There was more in that thought but it seems as though the device is synchronizing extremely quickly." Replies T'Pol {Careful not to ALLOW any STRAY thoughts by so JONATHAN can't PICK it up.}

"This is giving me a headache." Archer says as he rubs the bridge of his nose. {but on THE other HAND I don't MIND being SYNCHRONIZED with you}

"Telepathy can be taxing at times, though Vulcans are only tactile telepaths not true telepaths as one would think." Responds T'Pol as she tries to sort out the words she now has floating in her hand.

"But even we can have headaches performing telepathy."

Minutes of silence turn into an hour between the two friends and shipmates neither really moving, just staring at each other. No words or thoughts pass until…

{CAN YOU HEAR ME. DO NOT SAY ANYTHING USE YOUR MIND.} T'Pol eyes Archer with a stoic stare as she hears Archer's voice in her head.

{I can.} She replies unsure if it was just her imagination.

{CAN YOU HEAR ME}

{YES.} The two look at each other, one amazed he could actually perform the very act of Telepathy and T'Pol impressed how strong the Captain could be.

"What do you mean Captain Archer and Commander T'Pol have not reported to the conference Sir?" Malcolm answers with a question to the admiral on the screen, his name is Admiral Clough; many say he would bite a head off of a Barbican Tube Worm to motivate his soldiers.

"Precisely what I implied Lt. Commander. The conference started yesterday and Archer and T'Pol haven't shown. You say they left two days ago." Admiral Clough answers. "As of this moment I am asking you to search the entire quadrant for them being your actually the only ship in the region besides the frigate Iwo Jima and she doesn't have as advanced sensors as your Enterprise."

"You believe they crashed or something more sinister Sir." Implied Reynolds.

"You have been involved in a few shadowy operations son you tell me. Clough out."

{Great.}Thinks Malcolm as he exits the captain's ready room. "Mr. Mayweather set a course for the Rigelian system Warp 4. It seems that Captain Archer and the Commander never made it to the conference." Malcolm commands as he reaches the Captain's chair. "Lt. Hoshi I want you to scan all frequencies within that system. If there is any type of anomaly I want to know about it."

"Yes Sir" respond Mayweather and Hoshi nearly at the same time.

"Engage"

"Doctor what if the test subjects are missed?" Asked Noryb slightly concerned.

"Did you destroy the shuttle by overloading their primitive plasma coils?" answered Alucard.

"Yes doctor, on the dark side of Balorfalivictoria's (Rigel-7) outer moon as you instructed "

"That will make who ever looks for them think they were destroyed in a shuttle accident. Did you also place the cloned bodies on the shuttle so that organic readings can be found?"

"Yes Doctor Alucard."

"Shame shuttles are so fragile. So how are our subjects doing out in the wilds of our holochamber?"

"They have not moved yet but that does not concern me. What does are the readings I am getting from the Psi-amplifiers we implanted in them."

"Do tell Noryb."

"There is extremely high synaptic activity in the male human and lower activity in the female Vulcan."

"Interesting. I think the human is trying to learn how to use the device or he could possibly be showing the first signs of synaptic overload. Humans are a race I do not know much of. His body chemistry intrigues me. On my scans it showed that they only use 14% of their brain capacity. Imagine only 14% and they can create warp drive. Most races that have been encountered show a 25% usage at least."

Responds Alucard toward his assistant.

"Is it possible humans are telepathic?" Noryb asks as he continues to watch the monitor.

"Of what I know of them I was told they were not. Though if it isn't synaptic static perhaps the human race may be able to become telepathic in the future."

"That is a strange hypothesis Captain." Replies T'Pol as if from nowhere.

"What is?" ,answers Archer

"That you feel you can't get close to anyone because eventually they all leave you."

"You gleamed that from my mind?" Archer asks as he fiddles with the communication device in his hand.

"I am sorry but it makes it hard not to hear your thoughts after a day. The devices seem to be working to our captor's expectations." , T'Pol replies as she holds her knees to her chest.

"Your angry." States Archer.

"I am not angry, Vulcans do not.." T'Pol stops for a moment as she hears Archer's voice in her head {BULL} and she sees a flash of an image in her captain's head of a certain male Vulcan rushing at him after Jonathan had provoked him. She feels the pain of the memory deep in Jonathan's mind and soul. Not the physical kind but the emotional and spiritual pain it holds for him. "get…Why did you provoke him Captain? He could have killed you."

"Provoke who T'Pol?" Archer answers as he suddenly realizes his last thought. {SHIT. WHAT DO I TELL YOU T'POL?}

"The truth would be a good start Captain."

{I WANTED TO KILL HIM FOR WHAT HE DID TO YOU.} "He hurt you T'Pol. You're my friend and one of my officers." As Archer says this T'Pol hears both answers at the same time and she has to take it in slower than she is use too.

"It is harder than I thought to understand you with these devices. It seems that your species is capable of saying one thing and think of something else at the same time." T'Pol says as she rubs her forehead.

{I would take it as a compliment but I think I just was insulted." Archer says as he grins slightly. His eyes gleam with boyish charm.

{TIZH-TOR'A AK}

"What was that T'Pol? My Vulcan isn't all that good I thought you just said 'you hate my eyes'." Archer stops for a moment as he looks at something past T'Pol in the scenery {THAT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE}

{WHAT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE JONATHAN?}

For a second T'Pol felt something in the back of her mind akin to warmth but it passes quickly.

{THE SCENERY SHIMMERED FOR AN INSTANT. LIKE A MIRAGE}

{A FIELD OF SOMEKIND PERHAPS? OR } She looks toward where Jonathan Archer is looking at and notices it as well. { A HOLOGRAPHIC MIRAGE.}

{WE'RE IN A PRISON JUST WITHOUT BARS.}

{ITS LOGICAL IF ONE WOULD WANT TO STUDY SPECIMENS.}

{WE ARE NOT LAB RATS.} T'Pol could feel anger now in the back of her mind. Such power, such fury it felt as though it would over whelm her. Then it was gone almost as quickly.

{WHAT DO YOU SUPPOSE WE DO JONATHAN?} Again at the sound of his name she felt warmth cascading through her mind and again it was over quickly.

{WE DON'T PLAY NICE.} With this he gets up from his sitting position in the grass walking over to the mirage and places his hand through it. He begins feeling around the get the feel of the size of the room. After a few minutes he finds what he is looking for.

{CAPTAIN WHAT ARE YOU DOING MY I ASK.} T'Pol now feels a slight sadness flowing over their link and again it is over as quick as it came. Now she understands.

{I'M LOOKING FOR THE CONTROL PANEL SO I CAN DEACTIVATE IT. IF I'M RIGHT THIS IS SET UP LIKE THE HOLOROOM TRIP ONCE SAW WHEN HE WAS PREGNATE.}

T'Pol felt a chuckle now in her head then a sadness passing over the chuckle and then nothing.

Enterprise had arrived in the Rigel system within a few hours contacted the Conference of their arrival. After two hours of speaking to the committee Malcolm had enough of politics and began searching for anything that might tell him what had happened. After six more hours of scanning the system the Enterprise crew found wreckage of the shuttle in orbit near a moon orbiting Rigel 9. Organic material was found among the debris field that stretched 200 km.

"Doctor Phlox this is Reynolds I'm going to beam samples of organic mass found in a small debris field. I want you to run it against that of Commander T'Pol or the Captain." Malcolm pushed the intercom to the transporter room after this and gave them instructions. Afterwards he looks over to Mayweather as he continues, " Lt Commander you have the bridge, I'll be with Lt. Delores from engineering as we figure out what happened to the shuttle. I want you to continue scanning the system for any unusual power readings and get back to me if you find any."

"Aye Aye Sir."

"You have the bridge Mr. Mayweather." Malcolm finishes as he enters the turbo lift.

A few seconds later Lt. Hoshi turns to Mayweather and responds

"Do you think the Captain and Sub commander are alright?"

"Well if that organic matter isn't theirs then I hope we can find them. Scan all frequencies and see if you can pick up any type of chatter in the system. Use the new deflector array to amplify any back ground noise." Mayweather responded to Hoshi. Deep down he wants to believe that the captain and first officer are all right. He already lost one superior officer and a mentor he doesn't want to loss another. Captain Archer always believed in his ability to pilot the NX-01 and placed even more responsibility on his shoulders. Archer helped shape him into the officer he was becoming and he always saw Archer as a teacher and mentor, always as a hero and sometimes as a surrogate father figure. Mayweather had to think what Archer would do and proceed along that line. If it were Archer he would hide all of his doubts and insecurities behind an optimistic facade to keep moral up. That was what Mayweather would do now.

Hoshi complied with Mayweather's orders scanning all frequencies and though it would take along while it was something to keep her mind off of the current state of affairs. She at one time had a secret crush on Jonathan Archer years before Archer himself recruited her to Enterprise. They had met while she was a teenager living with her parents in the bay area on Earth. Her father was a design specialist attached to the Warp 5 project and was also an old friend and former teacher of Jonathan Archer's. She could remember when he had come over to her home and how handsome he looked, but she could never really talk to him. He was twenty-five and she was only fourteen and a bookworm. As she grew older she would talk to Jonathan and eventually thought of him as an older sibling as he thought of her as a sister. When Jonathan Archer gained the command of Enterprise he naturally picked Hoshi for her linguistic abilities, she never for got it. She would never let he "big brother" down if she could help it.

After several minutes Archer is able to bypass the holographic matrix protocols and find out a little more about the area around the laboratory by accessing a subroutine. {HAHA GOT IT. SCORE ONE FOR THE GOOD GUYS} T'Pol heard this in her head and allowed herself to feel safer. In the back of his mind Archer felt the change.

As he explored farther into the system he found that the area was a sub artic waste land with temperatures delving into minus 135 degrees Celsius and that was the days. The atmosphere also contained high amounts of Methane and Ammonia compounds. There would be no way they could survive in that. His hope slipped and T'Pol felt it for a moment.

{WHAT IS IT AISHIA} T'Pol sounded in her head before she realized what she thought. "What is it Jonathan?" She said aloud afterwards.

"The temperature outside the complex is to cold to survive exposed. We'd be pop cycles in an instant. Not to mention we couldn't breath the liquid methane and ammonia atmosphere." {AISHIA?}

T'Pol's eyes widened slightly as she heard Jonathan Archer mill over the word in his mind, for more than what it felt to be decades has T'Pol called Jonathan Archer this in her mind. She knew this, felt this, but could never say it aloud except to Porthos once when she held the dog long ago.

"It is a term of…endearment…to a confidant." T'Pol replied before Jonathan asked.

"Where have I heard that term before?" Jonathan asked as he turned to T'Pol. "So do you think we will hear just our directed thoughts or even emotion along with those thoughts?"

"I can not say. Though the devices seem well advanced and seem to have the ability to allow people to talk to each other through telepathy. With many telepathic races they tend not to be empathic with other races. Vulcans when bonded can feel their bond mate's emotions for example but we are again a tactile telepathic race." T'Pol answers, as she tries to shield her thoughts {CAN you ACCESS parts of SARREKS chak'ra STILL}

Jonathan Archer only heard "Can access Sarrek's still" and closes his eyes for a moment as he stops exploring the console he had found in the holo-chamber's wall. He looks deep into himself and remembers something but it fades quickly. Then as if in a burst of light from a super nova images begin to cascade into his mind; images that were not his memories but his first officer's. It was as if floodgates had been opened and torrents of water were released in millions of gallons per second.

_She began to remember the terror she felt when T'Pau failed to get Sarek's Chakra from Jonathan Archer and he collapsed to the ground. She remembered the helplessness she felt. Then she began to remember events afterward while Jonathan was still unconscious and her mother came into the anti-chamber where T'Pol was tending to a still unconscious Archer. _

"_I had thought that you had feelings for Commander Tucker when he came with you the last time. I see now that I was wrong."_

"_Mother he is my Captain and my friend." T'Pol responded as she continued to look after her Captain, her friend, her AISHIA._

"_I had often wondered why you went into the expanse with the Enterprise and I can see now why."_

"_Mother it is against regulations to..."_

"_You are in love with him aren't you?" interrupts T'Pol's mother_

_T'Pol never gave an answer and lucky she didn't have to, as Archer awoke_.

Archer could feel and see everything T'Pol felt that day, that hour, that minute in time. He could feel how much she did love him and was willing to turn her back on everything to be near him. He saw her addiction to trillium and her attachment to Trip when He, Archer, had pushed her away. He saw the feeling of want and need from her when he had become a primitive on that planet in the expanse. He saw her reaction as well as felt her blossoming feelings of endearment from P'Jem as he offered her his blanket. He felt her emotions, her passions, and what made T'Pol who she was all within milliseconds. The he felt something else break, as if a wall had come crashing down around him. It momentarily stunned him as if an incredible tension headache came on suddenly. He then could see the entire Vulcan language displayed in from of him and somehow understood it all as if remembering something from a lost book. He remembered _AISHIA. _Instead of dwelling on this though he opened his eyes and saw T'Pol in an entirely new light.

{WELL WE ARE PRISONERS HERE FOR THE TIME BEING BUT MAYBE I CAN SEND A SINGLE SOMEHOW OR MAYBE YOU'D BE BETTER AT THAT THAN ME.}

{WHY DO YOU SAY THAT AISH…JONATHAN?}

{YOU ARE MY SCIENCE OFFICER AND AN EXTREMELY INTELLIGENT PERSON T'POL. YOU'RE A GREAT ASSEST TO ME.} Archer says then almost slips {I ENJOY YOU'RE A..}

{SHUT THAT LINE OF THOUGHT JOHN BOY}

{WERE YOU ABOUT TO MAKE REFERENCE TO MY BUM AS LT COMMANDER REED LIKES TO SAY.} T'Pol thinks as she begins looking at the control panel.

{SORRY T'POL. I REALLY AM. THAT WAS OUT OF LINE…I SHO..}

{IT IS ALRIGHT AISHA I KNOW I AM ATTRACTIVE BY HUMAN STANDARDS.} Jonathan could actually hear the humor in that thought as well as the slight arrogance. He chuckled to himself as he replied

{YOU MADE A JOKE.} it was a statement not a question Archer asked.

"Vulcans do not joke."

{BULLSHIT T'POL} again Jonathan felt warmth in the back of his head almost akin to a smile.

Within moments T'Pol steps away from the control panel. {IT'S DONE.}

{SO WHAT DO WE DO WHILE WE WAIT?}

{WAIT I SUPPOSE} T'Pol thinks

"There is something I wanted to ask about though T'Pol," replies Jonathan as he led her back to where they had been sitting.

"What was that Captain?"

"I would have figured you'd think in the Vulcan language" Archer implies as he continues to look around.

"Actually many telepathic races can speak to each other over the language barrier due to the fact that they're minds can process the meanings subconsciously though the conscious mind can not." T'Pol begins to say, "There is a theory that states that we are actually connected to everything on some cellular level and that the ability for telepaths to be able to speak with each other is proof on that. Though many disagree with that theory."

One of the Lyran subordinate scientists who had been monitoring the computer system had been reading an unusual system glitch within the holographic matrix control system. He begins to analyze this glitch only to find it no longer a problem. What he did find though was someone had gained access to the control system.

"Interesting" he says aloud as Noryb passed him.

"What is it Danroc?" inquired Noryb as he stopped to the left of the subordinate.

"I was reading a system glitch in the HMS when I discovered someone had gained access to it through an outside the control room. I was attempting to trace it now."

"Interesting though it could have been Alucard watching over our subjects." {YES THAT MUST BE IT. THANK YOU FOR THE CLARIFICATION}

"Yes that must be it thank you for your clarification." Responds the subordinate.

"My pleasure." Noryb answers as he walks away. {I'll have to look into this glitch.}

"You know you should get some rest T'Pol you look drained. Have you been sleeping at night?" Archer says as he noticed T'Pol's movements moving sluggishly.

"I am fine Jonathan. Just a little.." with these last few words T'Pol collapsed with Archer intercepting her before she could hit the ground. She only remembered Archer calling her name aloud and in her head as she lost consciousness.

T'Pol began to see her room aboard Enterprise, her candles lit. She could smell the incense burning. She then heard the chime from her door ring and she felt as though she knew who it was. She could almost smell his scent. She bids him to come in as she felt happiness. Jonathan Archer stepped into her room, his features always magnificent to her. His eyes gleaming brightly, his smile a gift. He walks over to her without a word and places his hands on her cheeks, caressing them as he says

"Khaf-spol'tu ah"

She could feel emotion well up in her trying to break free. He kissed her upon her lips and she could feel his love coursing through her. All she can say is "Guv-tui-rivak AISHIA," After few seconds she then hears him say, _"I'm right here T'Pol hang on." _

She then slowly fades from her surroundings only to come back to the place she was with Jonathan Archer with those devices attached to them. This time though they are in a medical unit surrounded by Lyrans. She feels Jonathan's hand holding hers as her head pounded from a sever headache. The noise level affecting her headache as well, she remembered this feeling it was called a hangover. That was what Trip and Archer had called it the morning after she drank to much wine after telling a story of her great grand mother. She tried to rise only to have Jonathan gently put his hand on her shoulder and say aloud "Don't get up just yet."

"What happened Captain?" She asks as she tried to focus.

"You feinted."

As Jonathan says this two Lyran walk up behind him both with smiling, though unlike Phlox their grins were more menacing looking. "Met Dr. Alucard and Dr. Noryb. Our hosts for this event."

T'Pol raises her eyebrow to give Jonathan the all-knowing response to his sarcasism. With that eyebrow raised Jonathan grins knowing how she is.

"It seems that you had a reaction to my devices and we are now attuning them better to fit your Brain's chemistry so we have them turned off until that happens." The older Doctor replies detached, "We still wish to take readings to monitor your health in case there are any more problems."

"She wouldn't be in this bed if you hadn't attached your devices to us in the first place," Archer's voice was low and sinister, much like when he was angry but was trying to keep it in check. T'Pol knew the tones of his voice well. She felt protected now, calmer knowing that Jonathan was there to try to protect her. She stopped trying to deny Vulcan's had feelings and took comfort she was still able to control them. Thanks partially to T'Pau's healing and to the support Jonathan showed her often. It allowed her to heal from the mind meld attack first and her trillium damage. Though the trillium damage was severe she had gained seventy five percent of her ability to suppress her emotions back and through discipline of mind she could maintain a semblance of Stoic Vulcanism as Jonathan called it now.

"Unfortunately the needs of the many out weigh the needs of the few." Dr. Noryb replied

"Or the one." T'Pol answers without thinking. It was a phrase she knew from the readings of Sarek.

"Precisely. We do not want to harm the female Vulcan or you Captain. We need to do this to help our race's evolutionary process," continues Noryb. "It is Dr. Alucard's life's work."

"That doesn't cut it. So help me if she didn't awaken I don't care how many guards you have I would come after you and kill you. That you have my word." Archer responds, his blood pressure rising, his anger growing with each word.

{PLEASE CALM DOWN AISHIA.}Thinks T'Pol {I AM BETTER}

Jonathan stops for a moment as he hears her voice in his head. He remembers hearing her voice and seeing images in his mind as he had his eyes closed holding her hand while she laid on the bed unconscious. At first he couldn't understand the images until he realized T'Pol was dreaming of she and him, her wishes, her wants, her dreams of them together.

"Captain calm down there is no harm. She only had a reaction to the chemical induction process. We did not realize the stimulation did not have to be so high for her. We realized Vulcan's were telepathic but did not realize how strong they were." Dr. Alucard states as he continues watching the reading on the display screen. "In fact our findings show that your race has the ability to be telepathic as well. Along with that and her own race's telepathic ability it caused her to have a near synaptic overload."

"We were monitoring your devices closely and noticed the spike early on and was on our way when she collapsed. For the time being you both will be here in the medical bay until we are satisfied with her recovery." Dr. Noryb continues, "Do not worry Captain you or your sub-commander will not be harmed severely while you are here."

Minutes later as Jonathan sits by the bed T'Pol occupies he looks over to the guards and gets the lay of the room as he gently replies in his head {YOU HAD ME WORRIED T'POL}

She hears Jonathan's voice in her head and looks at him with wonderment then begins to think it was just her imagination until she hears his voice again…{BE CAREFUL ABOUT PUSHING YOUR SELF WILL YOU. I DON'T WANT TO MAKE IT AN ORDER.}

{WE CAN STILL HEAR EACH OTHER EVEN WITH THE DEVICES OFF?} She thinks as she looks toward any direction but Archer's.

{I'VE ALSO BEEN SEEING IMAGES AT TIMES. IMAGES I'D LIKE TO DISCUSS A LITTLE LATER.} , Archer comments as he turns his head toward T'Pol and notices she isn't looking at him.

{IMAGES?} T'Pol asks in her mind, Jonathan can feel the uncertainty in her thoughts.

{MORE LIKE FLASHES AND T'POL I PROMISE YOU WE WILL GET OUT OF HERE IN ONE PIECE AND ALIVE.}

She experiences a flood of emotions from Archer and a memory of the expanse.

He remembered a conversation they had after she was first exposed to Trillium.

"Leave me on a planet while Enterprise continues onward"

"No. I will not abandon you T'Pol. Request denied."

"Why? It is not logical."

"Because you are a valued member of this crew and I will not leave anyone behind."

T'Pol could see the conversation through Jonathan's eyes and feel his thoughts. She could feel the love Archer had for her. It was an ocean forever flowing, forever vast. He felt the same way she did. He never cared about the regulations he only cared what she would think. He couldn't risk ever loosing her and there fore never made an outward attempt to show her how much he loved her.

Meanwhile Hoshi finds a faint single being broadcast of three dots, three dashes, and three dots again. S.O.S. Hoshi tells Lt. Commander Reed and begins to trace the source. After ten minutes they triangulate the source on a polar moon orbiting Rigel nine.

As Enterprise scans the moon extensively they find power readings emanating from the northern region of said moon. After determining the best area for the M.A.K.O. units to transport down to Reed Leads them in. They beam into a storage area fully armed, ready for anything. After several minutes though of searching they find nothing, no people, no records, nothing save two life forms in status. After they find the two status chambers and discover that they hold the Captain and T'Pol; Reed has Phlox beam down to attend to them. As the two awaken from status they are brought back to the ship and held in sickbay as Reed asks them questions….

"So they just left after they disengaged some form of telepathic enhancers they placed upon you to begin with after T'Pol collapsed Sir?"

"Yeah I can't tell you why. I was under the impression we were going to be there awhile." Replies Archer to Reed.

"They were called Lyrans and the Doctor that created those devices was named Dr Alucard."

"Yes. Do you remember anything else before they drugged you the second time."

"Nothing until you found us."

"The status chamber had been operational for two days and you have been missing for more than a week sir. After we found the wreckage of the shuttle we assumed the worst. That was until we discovered the chromosomes in the tissue were shorter than normal indicating possible cloning of the bodies. You have Doctor Phlox to thank for that though." Reed relays only to be interrupted by Dr. Phlox

"Well I can't take all the credit Mr. Reed you wouldn't let it go." HE smiles his normal smile, the same as the Cheshire cat from through the looking glass was described to do…"So if you can allow my patients to rest they will be released in two days."

"Two days Phlox." Exclaims Archer "I feel fine."

{PHLOX ONLY HAS OUR WELL BEING IN MIND AISHIA}

"Do we have to stay in here, how about we stay in our quarters instead." Archer replies after he was mentally chided from T'Pol.

"As long as you don't do anything strenuous."

"Wouldn't dream of it Phlox."

{MA ETEKNATYAN TERETUHN LAUETEK SHETAU WEH-LO'UK DOTURN T'ON} T'Pol thinks as she feels warmth and love from Jonathan Archer as he responds

{WE HAVE DIFFERENCES- MAY WE TWO BECOME GREATER THAN THE SUM OF OUR PARTS}

Sometime later Jonathan Archer lays next to T'Pol in his bed, her head on his chest and bed sheets scoured all over the bed. Archer caresses her hair with his hand thinking nothing but how he feels at peace with T'Pol. All the time she feels and hears his thoughts cascading through not only her mind but her entire being as well. She feels calm and centered, more so than she has in a very long time.

{SO MUCH FOR NOTHING STRENUOUS} thought Archer as he chuckled aloud.

T'Pol rose her head and shot up an eyebrow toward Jonathan as she replied

{THERE WAS NOTHING STRENUOUS ABOUT WHAT WE DID. IT WAS THERAPEUTIC FOR BOTH OF US.}

"You have me there T'Pol. It was that." Jonathan replied aloud with a sparkle of life in his eyes that wasn't there for more than a year.

"Are you sure we will not be breaking protocols AISHIA?" T'Pol had a logical all too familiar tone that Jonathan knew well.

"Starfleet is actually thinking about the no fraternizing rule for awhile now. As for now those are more looked on as guidelines rather than rules." Jonathan replies,

"The only reason I didn't try to pursue you was I was afraid I'd make you not want to be here anymore. This ship would never have been the same."

"Do you remember what you told me once about two people working too close in proximity and in close quarters together?" T'Pol asked as she rubbed his chest, still feeling the electricity from his bare skin.

"That was after you were shot saving the Vulcan Captain." Archer closed his eyes only for a moment but T'Pol could feel sadness and regret through the telepathic link they still shared. It had not faded as Phlox said it might. It was as though they had bonded.

"Why do you feel sorrow and regret Jonathan?" T'Pol asked knowing something was hurting him.

"I nearly lost you that week twice and I had grown to care for you deeply. At first I thought it was just because you were a comrade in arms and a friend. I admit I even had a crush on you. Funny to think that from our first meeting."

"I stayed because of what you said to me the day before." T'Pol replied as she continued to caress his chest. Her memory flashing back to when they were tied together, trying to escape.

_Archer: I refuse to allow the Vulcans to take anything else that is important to me like they did to my father._

Jonathan remembered that and was intrigued T'Pol held on to that memory so vividly.

"No one, not even my mother ever said I was important to them and you said it only after a few months," T'Pol answers, "not even Kosh said anything remotely like that. Vulcans may be stoic and unemotional but we do have those feelings, stronger than anyone could believe. We were war torn and incredibly savage to each other. If not for the fact that we embraced structure and learned to control our emotions we would have destroyed ourselves."

"My world was not always the desert world it is now with vast wastelands and savage storms. At one time according to out planet's geological record it was much like Earth in the way of forests and flora everywhere. My ancestors were hunter-gatherers living in peace with each other until a planetary disaster made my planet nearly uninhabitable. My ancestors became savage taking advantages from a few people and making them breed it into the clans. It was a fight just to survive and we warred against each other until we nearly wiped ourselves from existence. Those primal emotions still lurk inside of each Vulcan and during a certain time period in each Vulcan's life we devolve emotionally back into that. We are a proud people Jonathan, much like you. We pride ourselves on becoming as we are now. We do not share many emotions even with our children and some do feel as though they are not important unless they serve our planet some how. I didn't feel important until you said I was important to you."

"I understand." Was all Jonathan Archer had to say.

"Doctor Alucard have you seen the latest readings on our test subjects?" asks Noryb as he looked over the data.

"What have you found?" the doctor asks as he looks up from an observation device.

"It appears the devices are working better than hoped. The units are within .006 Nan sectors in variance of each other. They were and are communicating fully."

"Are you sure? How are their life signs?"

"Stable and reactive."

Meanwhile on the bridge of the Enterprise Lt. Hoshi seems perplex by something she has discovered.

"Lt. Commander Reed I think I might have something your not going to like."

Reed walks over to Hoshi's station and looks at her display system.

"What is it Hoshi?"

"I'm getting a faint signal but its not something that I'd call normal."

"Can you track it?" Reed asked.

"I believe I can but its some kind of Alien signal."

"Stay on it." Replied Reed as he walks back over to tactical.

"Jonathan." T'Pol says quietly waiting for a response.

"Yeah T'Pol." Archer replies as he gently rubs her shoulder.

"I love you. I'm sorry I never said it to you. I wanted to tell you that time you left to destroy the Xindi weapon but I couldn't. My Chakra crumbled when you left the ship and I thought you had died. I more than cherish you and admire you. I want you to be my husband Jonathan. I want to have children with you."

Jonathan looks at T'Pol as he caresses her cheek and smiles. "I won't want it any other way T'Pol."

As he pulls her closer the door chime sounds from his door. Archer closes his eyes and exhales in frustration. T'Pol just raises an eyebrow and looks toward the object of her growing annoyance. Then the door chimes again as Archer raises his head and shouts "Be there in a moment."

"Should I stay in here or enter your bathroom Jonathan?" T'Pol asks half expecting to get up.

"Personally I'd rather have you stay where you are. I don't care who knows how we feel for each other." Jonathan Archer says in response as he gets his sweat pants on. T'Pol can't help but admire his naked form as he dresses.

Archer stops and looks over to her and doesn't know what to think but smirks as he replies, "Really T'Pol I thought Vulcan's did do those sort of things."

"I am a scientist first Jonathan and I am not above experimentation," announces T'Pol as she gets out of bed. "As for not caring what anyone knowing at this juncture in time I believe the old Earth proverb discretion is the better part of Valor applies here for right now."

T'Pol walks into the Captain's personal bathroom nude and it is this time Archer admires her. "Really Jonathan we will have to try that from a scientific point."

The door chimes once more. "Coming hold on for a minute will you!" Archer exclaims as he walks to his door and says open.

"Oh boy." Archer states in an amazed voice as his door opens and he stands there in shock.

"Cap'n you look like you seen a ghost." Trip replies as he stands outside in the hallway facing Captain Jonathan Archer.

"You could say that Trip." Archer replies as his mind races for possible scenarios.

"Your dead."

"What do you mean I'm dead?" Trip answers "Jonathan you okay. I wanted to stop by and see how you were doin. Time I got to sick bay you and T'Pol left and the Doc said you came to rest in your room."

"T'Pol." Archer calls over his shoulder, "you might want to get dressed and come out here."

"T'Pol's here to. Wait you and T'Pol Jon and you didn't tell me. How long has this been goin on?" Trip asks in a state of shock.

After a few seconds T'Pol walks up behind Jonathan as her eyes reveal shock. "Your dead Commander."

"So I was told. I can come back later if you'd like when your not uh….so busy." Trip says as he backed up and began to walk down the hall.

"Wait Trip sorry lets have dinner later and we'll catch up okay?" Jonathan Archer replies.

"Not a problem Cap'n." Trip answers as he smirks and walked away.

As the door closes Jonathan turns to see T'Pol's expression. Her expression is of dumbfounded confusion and trying to assess the information in her all too Vulcan brain. After only a few seconds she speaks aloud to Archer.

"We know Trip is dead. So logically speaking there must be a reason he is present with us here. Perhaps the Lyran's drugged us and placed us back in the holo-chamber but they would have to have extensive knowledge of Enterprise and her crew. That does not seem probable. The second option is that we are still unconscious and we are still linked. Our minds sharing thoughts and memories."

"What if that were the case what do you think we should do T'Pol?" Archer asks.

"I can not be sure Jonathan, not without more information. How can we tell if anything was or is real here and now?"

Jonathan stops for a moment as he listened to T'Pol's words as well as felt them. Each word carrying something hidden within. "I know what I feel has always been there T'Pol and I do love you more than anything in this galaxy. If I had it to do over I would still do it the same so I could meet you again. Remember that."

T'Pol could feel his words as he spoke them as well, their true meaning, their intent, and their love. It made her feel safe and loved. "Thank you," she says as she touches his lips with her index finger lightly. "I love you too."

The next morning on Alpha shift at 0800 hrs upon the bridge of the Enterprise Captain Archer and Commander T'Pol appear from the turbo-lift and all eyes look to them. Malcolm Reed stands at his post as chief of security, Hoshi sits at the communications center, Mayflower has the helm, and Tucker sits in the captain's chair. As Archer walks over toward Trip the later stands up and gives command back over to the Captain. T'Pol stands by her post observing.

"Commander Tucker thank you for keeping my seat warm. It's much appreciated." Archer says as he shakes Trip's hand.

"I thought Doctor Phlox said you two were on light duty for awhile till he cleared you both?"

"I'm not expecting any Klingon Birds of Prey or anything like that so I'm following the words of our Doctor closely."

"Sure you two are." Trip replies with a grin

"So am I still dead cap'n?" Tucker asks playfully.

Jonathan chuckles slightly "No Trip you look well enough to me."

Trip not getting the joke walks off of the bridge and back to engineering, leaving the bridge to her Captain. After a few restless minutes Archer gets up from his chair and heads for his ready room. As he is about to walk through the open door he smiles slightly as he feels a warmth come from inside his mind, where T'Pol resides forever etched. {If you get bored you can come see me later. Maybe we can figure out what is going on.}

{Is that the only reason you'd like to see me Jonathan?} T'Pol replies, a playfulness mixing into her words.

{It could be a start.} Jonathan answers as his ready room door closes.

{I thought you liked to keep things professional while on duty Jonathan.}

{Very True but the way I see it we are not really on the Enterprise just a figment of some program. We can be professional on Enterprise when we get back.}

{I do not see your logic Jonathan.}T'Pol responds with a small laugh in her head.

_For the first time Jonathan Archer can see, feel, and almost touch what truly goes on inside a Vulcan's mind behind that wall of logic and stoic unemotional calm. He can feel T'Pol's willingness to want to play and release her emotions, to be unbound but knows she cannot for it would not only destroy her but could harm so many others. He sees that the Vulcan people do not just live by a strict code of logic and honor; they cannot live without it. _

{I know and I accept that.} Jonathan thinks as he sits in his chair.

{Thank you _AISHIA_.}

Throughout the day T'Pol begins to place a hypothesis of how the telepathic devices may work and she comes up with a possible scenario of how to free she and Archer from the device. Though if she is wrong it could kill them both. T'Pol was so lost in thought that she didn't notice Trip standing nearby as well as Archer, both having a stoic expression on their face. She didn't even feel Archer he had come close to her as she did many times in the last day.

{_T'Pol are you okay_?} She heard his voice in her head ask. She could feel his concern and love wash over her. It felt as if the two were in conflict with each other but both were also at peace. The very contradiction made her wonder what else were humans capable of. {_Stay with me T'Pol_.}

{Yes Aishia I'm just lost in thought. Why did you ask me to stay with you?} T'Pol asks perplexed

{_I don't want to lose you T'Pol_.}

{_You will not Aishia_.}

{_That's my T'Pol_.}

{_You are very odd Jonathan_?}

{_I'm odd_?}

{_Yes_.}

{_You don't realize what's happened do you T'Pol_?}

{_What are you talking about Aishia_?}

As she thinks this, the Captain's ready room door slides open and Jonathan Archer walks out to the bridge. She then looks to see where he was just seconds ago and sees no one there.

In the real world on a medical unit bed lays T'Pol with sensors all around her. Sitting next to her is Jonathan Archer holding her hand. Behind him stand Dr. Noryb looking at a PADD reading some notes taken earlier.

"It looks as though she is beginning to realize she retreated into her own mind when she collapsed within our holo-chamber Captain. If there is anything to know about the Vulcan mind it is unusually resilient and stubborn."

"She wouldn't be here in this bed in the first place if you and Alucard hadn't taken us from our shuttle and placed these devices to us." Archer says in a low, guttural roar that echoes the turmoil in his own head. "Why did you feel the need to use the image of Trip when you took a walk into her mind?"

"I needed to use a friendly face as to not cause more damage. Had I known that this Tucker were dead I would have used another but unfortunately you were unconscious as well up until a few hours ago." Answers Noryb smugly.

"Tell me Noryb why is it you have telepathic abilities and no one of your race does? Does anyone else know?" Archer responds as he turns to his host at the moment. His anger held in check only because T'Pol is stable.

"In a simple answer no none know I have these abilities. I am the only one that I know of, though it is caused by pharmaceutical means. My race cannot rely on these drugs because they are harmful and prove too unstable and dangerous in the long term." Noryb answers, "I did not know your mate would react this way to the device or I would have made sure we would not have gone this far."

"My mate?" Archer replies.

"She has many vivid memories of you and emotional attachments. She calls you _Aishia_ freely in her mind. Do you know what that means Captain?"

"It's a term of endearment." Archer responds griping her hand tightly.

"Endearment is a light way of saying it." Noryb explains as he continues, "Why do you think it was easier for you two to link through these devices? There was a bond between you two made stronger which created a possible bridge. I assumed you were mates but I see by the look on your face that may not be so."

"What we are is really none of your business. Is there anything I can do to help her?"

"Do you love her Captain?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"What makes the sky blue or red or purple from one world to the next? What made the universe come together? What is beyond the next star? It matters Captain. She can use you as an anchor or a tether. The stronger the cord the easier she can return. Love is a strong cord. I may be a scientist and from a warrior race but I do know love."

"Why are you helping us?"

"If you and she survive it will help cement the proof we need to continue our work."

"Is that all?"

"I have my own reasons Captain but I need you both to survive intact."

"As long as it has nothing to do with a temporal cold war It'll be fine."

"A what Captain Archer?"

"Forget I said anything."

Meanwhile back on Enterprise (the real one) Hoshi has amplified the signal she isolated and has begun to triangulate it. She played with the frequency using the deflector array running it through the spectrometer and found it resembled an old style of code using dashes and dots.

"Dash, dash, dash, dot, dot, dot, dash, dash, dash. It's Morris Code, how could I not of picked that up? Hoshi you idiot." Before she realized it she had said it aloud Malcolm asked her what she had found.

"Oh sorry sir the signal wasn't background noise. It was an old Earth code called Morris. It consisted of dashes and dots so to speak. It says only three letters over and over. S-O-S. It's a distress call."

"A distress call using an old Earth code?" Malcolm replied, "Hmm try to find where it's coming from Hoshi. I'd bet a week's pay that it's from the captain."

"Aye Aye Sir."

" Jonathan I don't understand something?" T'Pol asks Archer as they walk onto the turbo lift off duty. "I thing I am having a problem."

"Stop turbo lift." Archer replies, then looks at T'Pol and places his hands on her shoulders. Something he has done many times in the past. "Are you alright?"

"I don't know. Earlier when I saw trip on the bridge you were there as well. Then you walked from your ready room to the bridge. Logically you can't be in two different places at the same time. Though logically you can almost occupy two places at within nanoseconds of each other if you believe in the theory of quantum leaping."

"T'Pol your not alright." A voice from behind her replies, both she and Archer look behind her to see another Jonathan Archer standing there.

"What the…" the first Archer responds, "I hope this has nothing to do with time travel."

"T'Pol you've been unconscious and in a comma due to a synaptic feedback caused by the devices that Noryb and Alucard placed on us." The second Archer replies.

"What?" Asks T'Pol.

"Its true T'Pol. I need you to come back to me. I need you." Answers the second Archer.

"Don't listen to him T'Pol stay here with me. I make you happy don't I?" Says the first Archer.

"Think Logically T'Pol. In here Trip is alive and well. In the real world he's been dead for nearly a year now. You and I were going to the conference when we were captured. You already know what is right. Come back with me. Wake up."

"_Aishia." _T'Pol looks too the first Archer as she goes to touch his face he fades from reality. The world began to crumble around her as the walls melted away and the void of space embraced her. She floated through space falling toward a star that became larger and larger, brighter and brighter. She could feel the gravity well become stronger as she came closer until she fell through the blinding corona.

"Sir sensors are picking up a pod of some kind floating in orbit around the outer most moon of Rigel-9." Mayweather replies to Lt. Commander Reed.

"Scan it for life." Reed replies.

"Two life signs. Strong but unconscious. A Human and Vulcan."

Two days later Captain Archer opens his eyes in Enterprise's Sickbay. The first face he sees is that of Doctor Phlox, with his Cheshire Cat-like grin.

"I'm glad your awake captain. It was touch and go for awhile there."

"What?" asks Archer as he felt the mother of all hangovers.

"The device that was attached to you and T'Pol was removed with success with no permanent harm."

"How is T'Pol?"

"I am fine Captain." {Aishia} T'Pol replies on the bed next to him. "The Vulcan physiology is stronger than that of a human's so we recover easier."

Thrown off by the double meaning and the stray though in his head Archer replies "Say again?"

"I am fine Captain." {I was worried about you}

"You don't have to worry T'Pol I'm good."

"What Captain?" T'Pol asks.

"You were worried its okay I'm good, just a headache."

"She didn't say that Captain." Replied Phlox.

"I heard her."

"Are you two linked still?" Phlox asks his facial expression priceless.

{Are we?} Archer thinks

"It would appear so." T'Pol replies aloud.

"How did Enterprise find us?" asks Archer toward Phlox.

"A beacon that was signaling an old Morris code message. S-O-S. Save our selves."

"You both were unconscious in the pod with a recording of an unknown man saying what was wrong."

You both were in sickbay for two days. The message said what the devices were and told us how to remove them.

"Oh."

Later as T'Pol and Archer lay on their beds Archer thinks {I feel the same for you}

{You what?} T'Pol thinks

{I love you too.}

{Aishia.}

* This was actually detailed in the novel Spock's World.


End file.
